SNL slams Trump as Putin's Manchurian Candidate during cold open

Saturday Night Live slammed Donald Trump during the show’s cold open on Saturday for his relationship with Vladimir Putin, comparing the president-elect to The Manchurian Candidate.

Alec Baldwin returned to play Trump in the opening sketch, with cast member Beck Bennett starring as a shirtless version of the Russian president. “This guy is blowing my mind,” Bennett’s Putin said after Baldwin’s Trump attacked the CIA for saying Russian hackers had tried to sway the election in favor of the Republican candidate. “Donald, I want to state officially that we in Russia are so happy you are U.S. president. We think you’re the best candidate, the smartest candidate, the Manchurian candidate.”

“I don’t know what that means but it sounds tremendous,” replied Baldwin’s Trump.

Richard Condon’s 1959 novel The Manchurian Candidate, which was turned into the classic 1962 film, focuses on a soldier and former prisoner of war who is brainwashed into becoming an assassin as part of a massive Communist conspiracy.

In addition to Baldwin, the cold open featured another guest: John Goodman, who played Exxon Mobile CEO Rex Tillerson, Trump’s pick for Secretary of State. (In real life, Tillerson has ties to Putin, and was awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin in 2013.)